I need to generate an XML document referencing a unique XML namespace. There doesn't seem to be direct support for XML namespaces in RM/Cobol XML Extensions. I may be able to simply use a default namespace for the outgoing document, but it looks like I will definitely have to handle the namespace prefix in the incoming response document. Is this something I will have to do using XSLT? Or is there another way to handle this issue?
XML Namespaces
I need to generate an XML document referencing a unique XML namespace. There doesn't seem to be direct support for XML namespaces in RM/Cobol XML Extensions. I may be able to simply use a default namespace for the outgoing document, but it looks like I will definitely have to handle the namespace prefix in the incoming response document. Is this something I will have to do using XSLT? Or is there another way to handle this issue?
Hi again, David.
Yes, XSLT is the answer. Permit me to provide some of the design philosophy behind XML Extensions...
One long-standing design principle for software is the separation of the user interface from the business rules and the data store. If one follows this design principle, each layer becomes much cleaner in its implementation, because there have to be well defined interfaces. COBOL has as one of its legacies the ease with which one can violate this principle, because of COBOL's features that support all the layers.
XML Extensions was designed in a way so that this legacy was not extended into the realm of XML. Even though XSLT was relatively new while XML Extensions was being created, the designer of XML Extensions (not me 
) decided to use the power of XSLT to eliminate the need for a lot of new language features. Thus, the clear relationship between the structural layout of data shared by XML and COBOL could be exploited in a way that did not bog down the language or the programmer with features specific to XML. I could go on, but you get the idea.
XSLT is a very powerful language. It can transform XML to XML, HTML or text. In your case, you will be able to transform the rather simple XML being created by XML Extensions (which has no real namespaces, or useful attributes, or a lot of other stuff useful in the world of XML) into the more robust documents that you might need to create. And likewise, on the import-to-COBOL side, you will use XSLT to transform sometimes highly complex documents into the rather simple XML required by XML Extensions.
There are several tools on the market that are useful for creating XSLT. The cheapest and easiest to install (but not to use) is Notepad using the XML Tools plugin. I personally use Stylus Studio. There are plenty of others.
There are several XSLT tutorials on the web. A good first tutorial is at www.w3schools.com. You can also find a lot of my work on www.tek-tips.com in the XML forum; I have been actively answering XSLT questions there for many years. Finally, if the Micro Focus publication A Collection of Xcentrisity Examples is not installed with your product, ask Customer Support to send you a copy. This work contains some more advanced examples.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Tom Morrison
Hill Country Software
I need to generate an XML document referencing a unique XML namespace. There doesn't seem to be direct support for XML namespaces in RM/Cobol XML Extensions. I may be able to simply use a default namespace for the outgoing document, but it looks like I will definitely have to handle the namespace prefix in the incoming response document. Is this something I will have to do using XSLT? Or is there another way to handle this issue?
Tom,
Ok, XSLT. I kinda figured that would be it.
I am currently working through a variety of topics at w3schools. Pretty good for a starting point. Just a lot to process.
Thanks again for jumping in and providing direction.
David
Sign up
Already have an account? Login
Welcome to the Rocket Forum!
Please log in or register:
Employee Login | Registration Member Login | RegistrationEnter your E-mail address. We'll send you an e-mail with instructions to reset your password.
77 4th Avenue
Waltham, MA 02451 USA
